Today, video consumption is growing at an almost exponential rate.
We’re increasingly seeing video being used as a learning tool in the
classroom, in the enterprise world for training purposes, and at local
churches to enhance the worship experience. Video is being consumed
on multiple devices, including TVs, PCs, smartphones, and tablets. Of
course, these are just a few examples of how ubiquitous video has become.

In the past, it was common for organizations that distribute video to have a dedicated
AV and IT network. But as consumer demand for high-quality video content continues
to rise, many organizations are looking for a more flexible,
scalable, and affordable approach to video delivery. IP networks
have emerged as the best solution, enabling organizations to rely
on a single architecture for video and data distribution. This article
examines the key considerations one must take into account when
setting up an IPTV system and what to factor in for the future.

Multicasting is Critical

The first step is choosing an IPTV system. Through an IPTV system,
organizations can deliver video from a variety of sources over a
packet-switched network such as a LAN or the Internet. Next, you
must ensure that all switches on the network are capable of multicasting and that
multicasting has been enabled. There are two types of video distribution methods:
unicast and multicast. A unicast stream sends IP packets to a single recipient on a network.
Because unicast is a one-to-one method of distribution, it uses up a great deal of
bandwidth. Multicast, on the other hand, offers a one-to-many distribution approach,
enabling organizations to distribute a single stream to multiple displays using the same
amount of bandwidth. It’s more efficient, and therefore infinitely more affordable.

Bandwidth Considerations

In terms of bandwidth, you need to decide if your goal is to reach as many people as
possible, or provide the highest possible video resolution. There is a trade-off involved.
Obviously, the higher resolution video you want to deliver, the more bandwidth you’re
going to need, or you’ll need video encoding tools to compress the streams down to
an acceptable bitrate.

Let’s say video quality is what is most important to you. An uncompressed HD
1080p60 video stream will eat up 3 Gb/s of network bandwidth, so if you have a standard
1Gigabit Ethernet network, delivering uncompressed video isn’t an option. Here’s
where video compression comes into play. Using an IPTV system with advanced H.264
encoders, organizations can compress an HD 1080p60 stream down to 20 Mb/s and
deliver about 40 streams over a dedicated GigE network.

On the other hand, let’s say video quality isn’t nearly
as important. In this case, you can compress the stream
down to HD 720p60 and reach more people while still
providing impressive video quality.

Future Proofing the Network

When setting up your IPTV system, don’t get stuck thinking
about the now; you need to future-proof the network.
Consider what the network capacity might look like in
five years. Is it going to be the same? Or do you anticipate
that the network will support three times as many users?
Factor in room to grow unless you’re absolutely certain
that the number of users and video assets is going to
remain the same, although this isn’t likely. Depending on
the requirements of the network and the end user, building
a 10GigE infrastructure is advised. This will ensure
you have capacity to grow for the future.

With that being said, IP networks
are extremely scalable. If you add
more viewers or distribution points,
you can, with relative ease and often
without additional expense, support
those.

Video Resolution

Keep in mind that IP networks support
a variety of different resolutions
and resolution profiles. Depending
on who is watching the streams and the display type,
you can make conscious choices about the resolution
and bandwidth usage. For example, you can set up the
IPTV system so that streams going to mobile devices are
delivered in HD 720p, while streams being delivered to a
larger display, such as a big screen in an auditorium, are
in HD 1080p.

Future-Forward

IPTV is transforming video distribution, enabling organizations
to improve video quality and bandwidth use,
increase flexibility and scalability, and provide a more
seamless video experience to users, with streams from
a variety of sources, including live, pre-recorded, on-demand,
and the Internet. Following the steps outlined
in this article, you can set up an IPTV solution that will
meet your video distribution requirements now and in
the future.

Jordan Christoff is the CEO of Visionary Solutions,
Inc. based in Santa Barbara, California.